Drug mule Czugaj had a life of crime

Bali drug mule Michael Czugaj has left behind a life of petty
crime in Queensland.

The 20-year-old Brisbane apprentice glazier started out in train
fare evasion before moving on to wilful damage, drink-driving and
receiving stolen property, The Courier-Mail said.

Brisbane court records showed Czugaj had 14 convictions for
offences and was a regular before several Brisbane magistrates
courts between March 2003 and his arrest in Bali last April.

His convictions included receiving a stolen fire extinguisher;
stealing a packet of cigarettes from a service station; wilful
damage for breaking a glass panel; traffic offences and fare
evasion.

Court searches showed in the two years prior to his arrest in
Bali, he was fined and ordered to pay restitution of more than
$4,000.

Czugaj was arrested at Denpasar Airport in April last year with
heroin taped to his body.

On Tuesday, he was sentenced to life imprisonment in line with
terms handed down to Renae Lawrence, 28, of Newcastle, and Scott
Rush, 20, of Brisbane, and fellow mule Martin Stephens, 29, of
Wollongong.

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